Is my metabolism ruined?

emalem12

Wondering if a few years of binging and crash dieting has had a permanent effect on my metabolism. Will my body bounce back? I'm only 21 but losing weight at 18 was much easier than it is now.

mmk137

it wont be ruined, but it does sound like you have stuffed things up a bit.

however that being said hormones play a huge factor.

once you start eating cleaner your hormones will balance out and your set point weight will change.

Educate yourself with reading and podcast. I love the smarter science of slim podcast, and wish I found it last year not this year.

kellicci

It may not be ruined....but you are correct in that it might be a littelloff right now. Every year you age it's going to get a tiny bit harder to get the weight off so good for you for starting now. If you've been crash dieting for an extended period of time (ie eating 1200 calories a day or less for months) you may need to up your calories to maintenance for a month or so to rest before weightloss will really kick in.

Why not figure out what your TDEE/maintenance is and do that until Jan 1 (trust me that can be difficult in and of itself around the Holidays) then go after taht weight loss goal in 2013.

love4fitnesslove4food_wechange

what sorts of diets were you doing? For how long? How much weight have you lost and on how many calories? It's NEVER permanent regardless of your answers.

dare2love81

Welcome to getting older. And as far as I know, the only thing that permanently screws with your metabolism is thyroid issues.

drmerc

what sorts of diets were you doing? For how long? How much weight have you lost and on how many calories? It's NEVER permanent regardless of your answers.

this

heybales

Wondering if a few years of binging and crash dieting has had a permanent effect on my metabolism. Will my body bounce back? I'm only 21 but losing weight at 18 was much easier than it is now.

http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/permanent-metabolic-damage-qa.html

mmapags

it wont be ruined, but it does sound like you have stuffed things up a bit.

however that being said hormones play a huge factor.

once you start eating cleaner your hormones will balance out and your set point weight will change.

Educate yourself with reading and podcast. I love the smarter science of slim podcast, and wish I found it last year not this year.

Can you please explain how eating cleaner balances out hormones?

rainbowbow

Yeah, pretty much no. Unless you have some glandular or other MEDICAL problem, the answer is probably no.

Now... what i COULD see happening?

Eat at a crazy ridiculously high deficit and no protein on a crash diet.
>lose excess muscle mass
Gain all of the weight back but none of the muscle mass back.
repeat.

I imagine that could probably make you have an excessively high amount of body fat and a very low amount of muscle which in turn would mean your body burns less calories throughout the day to sustain itself (lowered your BMR).

But, i doubt it. And if it did I don't know how significant that would be.

End of story? Weight Loss =! Pure Fat Loss

heybales

Now... what i COULD see happening?

Eat at a crazy ridiculously high deficit and no protein on a crash diet.
>lose excess muscle mass
Gain all of the weight back but none of the muscle mass back.
repeat.

I imagine that could probably make you have an excessively high amount of body fat and a very low amount of muscle which in turn would mean your body burns less calories throughout the day to sustain itself (lowered your BMR).

But, i doubt it. And if it did I don't know how significant that would be.

End of story? Weight Loss =! Pure Fat Loss

You aren't far off, and it could be significant depending on how bad the exercise routine during that steep deficit.
Say all cardio and no resistance training and not enough protein to maintain LBM as you said.
Many reports have shown 30% loss of LBM when finally at goal weight, some of course expected, but some is unneeded muscle loss beyond what would have happened. And that can effect BMR/TDEE levels.

250 lb 65" 30 yr woman with 45% BF, probably on low side for that though.
LBM - 138 lbs.
Fat mass - 112
Katch BMR - 1717

drops to 150 lbs and loses that 30% LBM. Still at 35% BF though because of that.
LBM - 97 lbs.
FM - 53
Katch BMR - 1325

But if that drop had been done wisely, and getting to 22% BF instead.
LBM - 117
FM - 33
Katch BMR - 1516

So now our lady gets a Bodpod or DEXA scan and realizes why the muffin top despite being at goal weight.
Of course, we know what happens now usually, eat less again, make it all worse.

You aren't far off I think for many starting yo-yo dieters. 3 times at the start of 3 new years, trying to diet off 15 lbs, if you hit 20-30% reduction in LBM each time, wow, what a life after that.

horselady34

21, your still young yet my dear, hang in there I hope you find what works for you

secretlobster

Permanent, no.

I'm 29 and I damaged my metabolism like you, but after a year or two of being more consistent and substantial with eating, I'm finally seeing evidence that my metabolism is healthier.

emalem12

Thanks all! I do have an autoimmune thyroid disorder going on but I think I have that under control, so I think it is just that I need to reboot my system. The advice is helpful. I just need to be more patient, I suppose

horselady34

Thyroid disorders suck! Im sorry you are going through that too, im glad you have it under control .. I was born without the thyroid gland so there is nothing there.. Its harder than hell in the winter for me cause my hypothyroid always gives me probelms, I know each person is differen't though..

CloverCreeper

I'm around the same age and I have the same fear.
I was on HCG a while back and since then it seems
like I gain weight so easily and barely lose it.

It's pretty frustrating.

mmk137

it wont be ruined, but it does sound like you have stuffed things up a bit.

however that being said hormones play a huge factor.

once you start eating cleaner your hormones will balance out and your set point weight will change.

Educate yourself with reading and podcast. I love the smarter science of slim podcast, and wish I found it last year not this year.

Can you please explain how eating cleaner balances out hormones?

Smarter Science of slim explains it. Get the podcast, it's free, and it explains it way better than I ever could.

Dave198lbs

any answer here based on the little information you provided should be taken as what it can only be...a wild unsupported guess

do not take any answer here as anything but an opinion and a wild guess

you should get a complete physical if you are concerned about this issue